Someone Who Understands
by zero0000
Summary: Living your life as the vessel for a ten thousand year old fox demon is never easy. But what if someone else understood exactly what it was like? VOTING ENDED! NaruOC
1. Chance Encounter

I really don't know what in blazes possessed me to write a Naruto fic. Anyway, this is the first attempt I'm going to make. Hopefully not the last. And hopefully I get to finish this one. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would have traded him in for an iPod. Maybe two.

One: Chance Encounter 

"I can't believe Tsunade-baachan made us play messenger for her!"

The loud, rambunctious blonde had begun ranting early in the day, even for him. Sasuke shook his head in disgust. _That's why you'll always be dead last_, he said to himself. Sakura smacked Naruto upside his head and the fox-boy yelped in pain. "Idiot!" she yelled. "Delivering a priority one message is still a C-class mission. At least we aren't plowing some farm somewhere." Uzumaki rubbed his head with a pout, muttering something about ramen and how a bowl of the stuff would hit the spot right now.

Kakashi was walking slightly behind the trio, his face buried in that vile book of his. Every so often he would giggle slightly before reverting all of his attention on the latest Icha-Icha novel. Having met the author of the series itself supercharged the Copy Nin's perverted instincts like nobody would believe. Jiraiya and the silver-haired jounin would often spend hours at a time doing research together, often the younger ninja contributing his own material for the later releases of the novel. This later resulted in, however accidentally, the creation of a rather influential women's rights group right in Fire Country borders.

Add that to the fact that the fifth Hokage is female and one would realize why Kakashi needed to have his health insurance reevaluated rather frequently as of late.

Team 7 had already delivered the letter to the ruling Kage of Komogakure three days before, and had traveled alongside a group of chuunin who will be training students in the hidden village's academy. Still, the mission had been uneventful, eliciting a stream of complaints from Konoha's number one comedy ninja.

Hidden Leaf was still a good two and a half days away, and as Sakura realized in horror, two and a half days before Naruto was near enough the Ichiraku that she wouldn't have to pay attention to his ranting. She had better things to do.

Like ogle a certain member of the Uchiha clan (who at this point will remain nameless) for instance.

She stared wistfully at the boy in blue to her left and couldn't help feel that the two of them were meant to be together. No matter what Ino-pig believed, the pink-haired kunoichi was sure to marry the Sasuke someday. It was her birthright, damn it! The universe could not conspire to create a more perfect union. She would be the one to help her raven-haired prince resurrect his clan to its former greatness.

Yes! It is Haruno Sakura, not Yamanaka Ino, who would one day become Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke!

Needless to say the sight of Sakura slowly cackling under her breath was too disturbing, even for a group of genin who had been given lessons on how to kill without mercy since the age of four. The three men subconsciously congregated on the other side of the path, unwilling to share in Sakura's schizophrenic fantasies. It was almost nightfall when something perked their ears.

"You hear that?" It was Naruto speaking.

The other genin strained their ears. Kakashi pocketed his book, pointing in the distant horizon at a plume of smoke (no doubt coming form a camp fire) in the distance. "Whatever it is, it must be coming from over there," the jounin stated.

It took team 7 a couple of minutes to follow the trail before the sweet sound of a bamboo flute caressed their ears like a mother's lullaby. Sakura closed her eyes to take in the complex harmony. "Beautiful," she breathed. Before long they found themselves in a campsite, where a young woman lay seated on a log playing the flute. From where they stood they judged her to be at least fifteen or sixteen. And a very good sixteen at that.

She was dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, with hand painted decorations of a pack of white wolves running through the deep blue fabric. On her feet were wooden geta, a bit worn from the long travel she must have gone through. Her porcelain skin glowed in the eerie light of the fire, casting an almost supernatural aura on her.

The woman was as beautiful and captivating as the music she played.

The music was cut short as the woman opened her eyes to take in the presence of visitors. "Oh I'm sorry," she said. "I did not realize there was anyone here. Would you be kind enough to join me? I had not anyone to talk to for the past days and there is food enough for all," the woman gestured at the fish roasting in sticks stuck around the fire.

"No, it is we who must apologize," Kakashi said, bowing. "We did not mean to disturb your flute playing." Sakura gaped. Kakashi being _courtly_? When did this come around? Even Sasuke couldn't stop staring. Naruto was quiet, an unusual occurrence for him.

"Wow! That was great! Where did you learn to play like that!"

Sakura sighed. _I knew it couldn't last_, she said to herself. The blonde genin, in typical Naruto fashion, had already plopped down beside the flute player and asked a whole stream of questions, often not even stopping to let the woman reply. Fortunately she took it all with a grain of salt, nodding at the appropriate times until Sasuke slammed a fist into the blonde's head.

"Stop pestering the woman with useless questions, dobe."

"Damn you Sasuke-bastard! You're just pissed off cause I talked to her first!"

"You think that's something to be proud of, idiot?"

"Why you…"

"Excuse me young sir," the kimono-clad lady said, addressing Sasuke. "I think it flattering that the young man would think so highly of my music. Please do not fight him for something as trivial as his over enthusiasm." Naruto grinned and stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha, who glowered at the blonde.

"I'm really sorry," the pink-haired kunoichi apologized. "We're on a journey to our home village and it's been three days since we've seen any sign of civilization." The kimono woman perked up. "Oh? It appears that our paths are meant to cross then. I myself am on a journey to find a new home. Will your village accept a stranger in its borders?"

Sakura was about to reply when a blur of orange flashed before her. "If the guards don't let you in," Naruto said, cracking his knuckles "I'll beat up anyone who stands in your way!" Kakashi and Sasuke slapped their foreheads. The woman bowed.

"I'm honored to think that you'd go to such lengths for someone you barely know. But I thank you all the same young man."

"I intend to keep all my promises! This is my Ninja Way!"

The kimono lady laughed daintily, with a sleeve covering her mouth. The three men were surprised to feel a flush come to their faces. Sakura wasn't surprised much, really. The woman was incredibly beautiful.

"May we be so bold as to inquire your name, m'lady?" said the silver haired jounin.

"Why yes. My name is Asakura Yukio."

If you're wondering why Sasuke and Kakashi were so speechless in that last sequence, imagine facing the most beautiful Japanese girl on the planet addressing you from three feet away. Do you get it yet?

Anyway, please review.


	2. The Ichiraku Conquered!

Two: The Ichiraku Conquered! 

Special thanks to meinos887, Yumexchan and LbcLostKid for the reviews!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I would be ordering him to do my laundry right about now.

"Oi! Naruto!" The blonde genin turned to see Kiba and Shino walking behind him a couple of yards. He turned and gave a jaunty wave of his hand as he waited for them to catch up. "Are you headed for the Ichiraku?" Kiba asked.

"Of course! Nothing's better after a hard day of training than a good hot bowl of ramen!"

"So then you've heard the news?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Kiba gave an exasperated sigh. "You know," he said. "about the new waitress whose supposed to be working there now. I heard she was hot! I mean look," he said, pointing at the Aburame "even Shino wanted to see for himself."

"Now see here Kiba--"

"It's okay man! It's pretty normal for guys our age to get crushes on girls!"

"But I wasn't--"

"So Naruto, you gonna join us?"

Naruto shrugged and gestured for the two to follow him. When they got to the blonde genin's favorite hangout, they discovered it crammed to the doors with more customers than the fox-boy has even remembered the restaurant ever having in all the years he went there.

"A pork ramen with lots of pepper!"

"I'd like a vegetable ramen. Heavy on the horseradish!"

"Regular ramen with barbecued beef toppings please!"

The trio squeezed through the crowd and impossibly, found themselves stools right on the counter. Old man Ichiraku looked harrowed as he filled out what might have been the umpteenth consecutive order in one of the busiest days of his restaurant. The proprietor spotted his favorite customer and apologized profusely for the slow service.

"Sorry about the slow service Naruto-kun. We're a bit busy lately."

"I noticed. What's going on old man?"

"Well, when word got out that Asakura-san was working he--"

"Wait, Asakura-san? As in Yukio Asakura?"

"Oh, right. You already know." Ichiraku sighed and wiped his brow with a dishtowel. "It's not that I mind really. Asakura-san attracts customers better than a bloody hunk of meat dropped in the middle of shark infested waters attracts a brood of great whites." The three genin blinked. Quite a long epiphany, that was.

"Anyway, I'll be back with your orders in a few minutes. Ayane! Take care of table three will you!" With that, old man Ichiraku turned and left for the kitchen. Kiba turned and gave the blonde genin a good shaking.

"You actually _met_ Asakura-san?"

"Well, ye--"

"What's she like! Is she as beautiful as they said?"

"I guess she's--"

"C'mon Naruto! You wouldn't spare any details from your friend Kiba would you?"

The dog nin continued to harangue and harass the blonde genin, not even realizing that he never gave him a chance to respond. Akamaru was barking like crazy, trying to get his master's attention. Shino on the other hand, did what he does best.

He just sat there. Being Shino.

"Naruto-kun!"

The entire room went silent. Kiba sat there openmouthed, gripping Naruto's windpipe and unconsciously tightening his grip at what he saw. Asakura Yukio was headed in their direction with an empty tray in her left hand. She was dressed in a less formal kimono than when Team 7 found her, but she looked elegant nonetheless. Shino sat there with a look of surprise on his face.

But with the high collar and the glasses, nobody really noticed.

"Yukio-anechan!" Naruto beamed. Kiba turned to him, a look of shock on his face. The same look now marring the faces of every single person in the restaurant. The blonde genin continued to be unaware of the increasingly powerful killing intent that was being directed at him from every single person in the room.

Except for Shino. Because he's…well…Shino.

Yukio strode over to their stools and smiled. "Thanks again for helping me get this job, Naruto-kun. It was really kind of you. Especially since I didn't really know that many people in this town, except for maybe your team." Naruto struck a good guy pose that would have put Rock Lee to shame.

"Don't mention it! Mr. Ichiraku said he's never had more customers than when you started here!"

"Don't be silly Naruto-kun! I'm sure the restaurant always had lots of customers before Thanks for the compliment all the same."

They exchanged pleasantries for a while until their orders came and Yukio had to go. Naruto grinned and reached for a pair of chopsticks, itching to bring the perfect ending to his day with a good, hot bowl of ramen. Kiba just stared at him. It took a few minutes of that before the blonde genin found it too creepy to ignore. He turned and asked "WHAT!"

"H-how…"

"Spit it out Inozuka."

"H-how d-do…"

"Geez, you'd think you were hanging out with Hinata a little too much."

_**Meanwhile:** Faraway in the Hyuuga compound, the heiress to the Hyuuga clan was training with her cousin Neji when a massive sneeze threw the clan prodigy to the ground. The branch house member wiped his face free of Hinata's nasal fluids. _

"_Eww. What the hell was that!"_

"_I d-don't quite know."_

_The two of them shrugged and continued with their training. _

Naruto then proceeded to explain to the them the circumstances of his meeting the Ichiraku's most popular waitress. Kiba shook his head in amazement. "Wow that's lucky!" he exclaimed. "But you realize that even you're gonna have a hard time talking to her now that half the guys in Konoha are going to be stalking her like one of Sasuke's fan girls."

The blonde genin pursed his lips in thought. "Well that's true," he admitted. Naruto remembered having to put off his sparring sessions with Sasuke when a group of crazed fan girls suddenly showed up on his doorstep with baseball bats and blackjacks and knuckle dusters for the next few days. He shuddered. That was one memory he would rather not relive, thank you very much.

But then something else crossed Naruto's mind. Now that half the men in Konoha were hanging out in the Ichiraku, the place would never again be the comfy, cozy place he went to after training. It would cease to be Uzumaki Naruto's "happy place," the one region in Konoha where he could kick back and relax. When the full ramifications of the thought finally hit home, the blonde genin stared at the ceiling and muttered one sentence under his breath.

"Where the hell am I going to hang out now!"

Sorry. I thought I'd put in some more humor in the fic before the really serious stuff happens. Anyway, please review.


	3. Diplomacy

**Three: Diplomacy**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But I do own this story!

The Hokage tower was in a flurry of activity. An embassy from Hyougakure in faraway Glacier Country was to arrive in a few hours and last minute preparations were being made all around. Anbu squads took their place on the tops of buildings, on tree branches, and every single location where the Konoha elite shinobi would draw the least attention.

Also on the scene were the genin teams led by their respective jounin-sensei. All of them were given priority-one C class missions on account of this being a diplomatic mission involving the very fate of the Hidden Leaf armed forces. Backing them up were the chuunin squads, led by several battle-hardened special jounin.

Team 7 was on the rooftop of a building three blocks from the main path the Hyougakure entourage would be taken. Mission instructions were simple: if there is any suspicious activity within their territory, activate a special scroll tag to inform the anbu security units in the area.

To Kakashi's chagrin, his team had been paired up with the trio led by his self-proclaimed "eternal rival," Maito Gai. Ever since the mission began, the taijutsu expert has been challenging the Copy Nin to no end, rebuffing the constant refusals with "Damn it Kakashi! Your response is so hip! You are truly worthy to be my eternal rival!"

It wasn't a picnic for the genin either. Neji and Sasuke were trying to out-angst each other (Neji pitted his "I have a curse seal and I was sentenced to live a life of servitude just cause my father was born a few minutes later than my uncle" with Sasuke's "My brother killed my entire clan and all I have to look forward to is revenge and an early death cause a legendary snake sennin wants to take over my body"). Naruto and Lee were arguing on who would get to challenge the Uchiha first. Tenten and Sakura were probably the only ones who were even remotely getting along.

"Do boys always have to compete at _everything_?" Sakura nodded in response.

"Ah."

Kakashi glanced at his watch. "I think the embassy from Hyougakure is about to arrive," he observed. "Gai, have Neji look out for them will you?" The Blue Beast of Konoha erupted in tears.

"A very hip strategy Kakashi! The Byakugan would be an excellent tool to---"

"Just do it, Gai."

But Neji had already activated his bloodline limit. Scanning the direction from where the entourage would be arriving, he reported "I see them." The other genin stood ready.

The Hyoukage's entourage had passed through Konoha's main gates. The front of the parade was a group of five hundred of the Glacier Country's finest chuunin, followed by a few platoons of special jounin handpicked by the Hyoukage himself. The Snow shinobi were clad in heavy white coats with fur lining around the neck, excellent for the cold climates of Glacier Country but unbearable uncomfortable in the tropical climes of the Fire Nation.

Still the kunoichi showed no signs of discomfort. They marched with their heads held high and their weapons at the ready. A few feed behind the last platoon of jounin was the Hyoukage's carriage. It was a white, lacquered coach pulled by a team of six horses, the finest breed in the northern regions of the elemental nations. A pair of Snow jounin flanked the coachman, eyes on the crowd and hands to their kunai pouches. A flag depicting a white wolf, symbol of the Glacier Country's nobility was flying on all four corners of the carriage.

The entourage made their way across the main street of the village surrounded by crowds, Leaf nins and Snow nins, as well as the occasional shopkeeper who came out of his store to witness the arrival of foreign dignitaries. When the carriage finally stopped in front of the gates to Hokage tower, the Godaime herself came out to greet them.

The Hyoukage stepped out of the carriage with the practiced dignity of one used to the honor his office provided. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with shoulder-length white hair and a full beard around his square jaw. By his side were two swordsmen samurai actually, probably representatives of the Glacier Country damyo. Their formal kimonos covered in hand-painted scenes of white wolves confirmed their status as the Asakura Guard, the finest swordsmen in the north of the elemental nations.

Tsunade bowed formally and greeted the Hyoukage. "Konoha is honored to receive the Hyoukage and his entourage. Will you join me in my office where we can properly see to your needs?" The Hyoukage gave a polite nod of assent.

"I see that Sarutobi's student also has his diplomatic skill," he mused. "Very well, we have much to discuss Hokage-sama." The two Kages walked inside escorted by the jounin. The chuunin remained outside the gates and kept watch.

In the Hokage's office the Hyoukage and the two swordsmen were served tea. Sipping the aromatic fluid, the Snow Kage murmured his satisfaction. The samurai remained silent and kept their faces impassive. When the pleasantries had finally been exchanged, it was Tsunade who spoke first.

"I can never thank you enough for lending us your strength in out time of need, Kusonoki-sama," she said. "Very few have been willing to help us since the unprovoked attack by Oto—" The Hyoukage waved this away with an impatient hand. "I and my employers are well aware of the damage that vile Orochimaru is capable of," he said. "Lord Asakura is very much concerned that such a creature be disposed of immediately, if not sooner."

"Konoha thanks Hyou for its favorable response."

"No, my dear. I only wish to pay back my debt to Sarutobi."

At the Godaime's quizzical look, the Kusonoki laughed. "I had forgotten," he chuckled "that you may have well been in diapers at the time." His expression turned serious as he related the story.

"You see, back when old Sarutobi-bastard was a shit-green genin, he had been dispatched to Hyougakure for the diplomatic exchange student program in our academy. If you've known him then, you'd realize that he was quite the loudmouth. And the fact that he was such a bastard didn't help either." Tsunade laughed at the thought of her old jounin-sensei being addressed as "Sarutobi-bastard."

"We competed in everything. He was the top rookie of his year as was I. I had my own horde of fan girls as he was slowly gathering his own. In a foreign land no less! Anyway, one thing led to another and then we got assigned a C Class mission."

"At the time C-Class missions were a dime a dozen, so we weren't so out of experience that we'd never had one before. I was ordered to scout the area for opposing forces and wouldn't you know it, I had walked into a trap set by the enemy shinobi."

"They captured me and tried to torture the locations of the main force. It took a few hours before I found Sarutobi by my cell and picking the lock. Damn did we run when they discovered us!" Kusonoki laughed and sipped his tea. "If it wasn't for Sarutobi-bastard, I would have never made it to be one of the best looking Kages in the elemental nation." Tsunade suppressed the urge to arch an eyebrow.

"An impressive story Hyoukage-sama."

"Yes. I was planning on having it written as an action novel of some kind."

"About the treaty,"

"Yes about that." The Godaime glanced at the visiting Kage's face for some change in expression. The agreement will come to pass, it was assured by the exchange a while ago. Then what was the problem? "Lord Asakura wishes to add a few, relatively minor adjustments before he lets me sign the treaty." Tsunade heaved a sigh of relief. So the damyo wishes to haggle.

"He wishes for you to help find his daughter."

A/N: Right. Like you guys didn't see this coming. Anyway, I seriously don't think that Glacier Country or Hyougakure (though I think I found this name in one of LiquidDreamLad's fics) ever found their way in the manga or in the anime.


	4. The White Wolf and Yukio’s Fanboys

**A/N: **Whoa! Massive feedback! Didn't realize this story has gotten so popular lately. Anyway, this is kinda one of those humor chapters. A little Sasuke-Sakura bashing if you will. Anyway, thanks to everyone whose been reading my stuff. Hope I can update more frequently

crosses fingers

**Four: The White Wolf and Yukio's Fanboys**

Disclaimer: If you don't get it yet then you're slower than a vat of molasses left out in a snowstorm. I don't own Naruto, only this story. Oh and Yukio. I own her too. And Kusonoki. I think LiquidDreamLad owns Hyougakure village but I haven't yet talked to him about that.

"Lord Asakura's daughter?"

The Hyoukage nodded gravely. "As eldest in the ruling line of clan Asakura, she needs to be back in Glacier Country before her eighteenth birthday, two years from now. But there's something else I feel you should know." Tsunade leaned forward.

"Sixteen years ago there was a demon attack instigated by a powerful mahou-zoukai, a sorcerer. He summoned two beasts to do his bidding. One of them you are familiar with, I believe." The blonde Kage bit her lip.

"The Kyuubi."

"Right on one."

"The sorcerer wished to conquer the Glacier Country first so he began his attack there. We defeated him and sealed the first of the two beasts in the body of a newborn child. Lady Asakura Yukio. The Kyuubi had already fled by then and it was impossible for us to track where it went. But as I recall, it was disposed of with the same manner we did the White Wolf."

"The Yondaime sealed it in the belly of a newborn baby," the Godaime breathed. "One Uzumaki Naruto." The Hyoukage splayed his fingers together, touching the tips to his chin. "Lord Asakura, in exchange for providing two thousand chuunin and one thousand jounin for the Konoha armed forces, wishes for the ruling Kage's assistance in finding his daughter."

"But Hyoukage-sama, I don't even know where to start." Kusonoki held up his hand. "That's where my escorts come in," he said, gesturing to the two samurai he had before him. "May I introduce the two best swords of the Asakura Guard."

A slender young man got up. He had silver hair flowing down the left side of his face and a black-sheathed dai-katana hung at the side of his dress robes. "This," the Hyoukage said "is Fujimori Tsuko of the Demon Sword. And this," he said, gesturing to a shorter woman with purple-black hair reaching her waist "is Lady Asakura Yukiko, First Sword of the Asakura Guard and Lord Asakura's niece." Both swordsmen bowed formally to the Hokage.

"I and my office agree to the stipulations. But," Tsunade raised a warning finger "Nothing drastic is to be done without my permission. I have the safety of the village to think of and that comes first before anything." The Hyoukage laughed. "Spoken like Sarutobi's student. You do well here, Tsunade-sama. I don't know about you, but I feel like signing a treaty."

"What do you say Hokage-sama?"

"That was a big waste of time."

Team 7 was walking back from the parade grounds. Naruto had begun complaining about having had nothing to eat all day and the rest of them had to suffer through the blonde genin's whining. Sasuke kept staring into space as Sakura continued to try capturing his attention with mundane comments about the weather. Kakashi was still trying to memorize the pages of his little red book that was the topic of most of the women's rights demonstrations in front of the bookstore he gets them from.

"If you think that's bad, wait 'til tomorrow when the envoy has its tour."

"Damn it! Stupid security measures…."

Naruto kept muttering until his train of thought once again retreated to one word sentences varying on "ramen," "hungry," and "bastard." Sakura shook her head. She was about to try asking Sasuke on another date when suddenly Kakashi spoke up.

"Wanna go to the Ichiraku?" The Uchiha stopped abruptly.

"Sure." Sasuke's reply dropped the jaws of his teammates.

"Oi, Sasuke-bastard!" The raven-haired Uchiha turned to look. "I thought you said that ramen dulls your brain! What's this about eating at the Ichiraku all of a sudden?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He pointed at the restaurant's door saying "Because we're already here, dobe."

Sure enough Team 7 had somehow circumnavigated an entire twenty blocks to end up right in front of Naruto's favorite restaurant. Whether this happened on purpose or by accident, the blonde couldn't be sure. But he knew that there was something going on, oh yes. There's always something funny going on in the head of Uchiha Sasuke.

Sakura went in first and was surprised to see the number of people in the ramen place. "Wow! I didn't realize this place was so popular. Why haven't you ever invited us here Naruto-kun?" It was the blonde's turn to be snappish.

"For one thing you said that Sasuke was right about ramen dulling the brain."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that Naruto-kun," the pink-haired kunoichi laughed sheepishly.

The team found themselves an empty booth (its former occupants were just leaving). Ayane came moments later, clearing the table. "Kakashi-san and Sasuke-san! You're back early today." Sakura turned to see the two Sharingan users gesturing Ayane to shut up before they were discovered. They quickly switched to forced grins instead.

"I don't know what you're talking about Miss."

"I've certainly never been here before. Have you Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sure you do. You always come here after Naruto-kun leaves. Why it seems almost like you were waiting for him to--" Ayane was cut short when the Copy Nin clamped a hand over her mouth. The jounin laughed nervously. "Maybe I have been here once or twice. And I've seen you a couple of times, eh Sasuke?" The Uchiha nodded quickly. Naruto's face screwed up in concentration while Sakura kept looking bewildered. Then the light of understanding sparked in a pair of blue eyes.

"Oh I see." Sasuke began to perspire.

"You're here every day aren't you?" Ayane struggled against Kakashi's grip.

"Because there's someone here you have to see everyday."

"I don't know what you're talking about dobe."

"You two," Naruto pronounced, pointing an index finger at the two shinobi "are Yukio fanboys!" Kakashi dropped the hyperventilating waitress from his grip as Sasuke tried to cut in the blonde genin's laughing fits.

"You don't know what you're talking about dobe!"

"Sasuke and Yukio sitting in a tree"

"Quit it dobe!"

"K-i-s-s-i-n-g..."

"Shut your trap Uzumaki-dobe!"

"First comes love, then comes marriage…" A vein started to throb in Sasuke's temple.

"You're asking for it!"

With a mighty blow Uchiha Sasuke slammed a fist into the blonde genin's face, knocking him into next week. As Sasuke struggled to contain his rage, a jounin from another table handed him a piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"A membership form for the Asakura Yukio Fan Club."

"I don't need---"

He was cut off when Kakashi snatched the form from him. The silver-haired jounin was already done with half the items on the form when a chuunin from a neighboring table began to swear him into the club. It was a funny sight, watching the Copy Nin sign a form and swear allegiance simultaneously.

Sasuke glowered at his jounin-sensei and muttered "I do not have a crush on Asakura Yukio..." At this, Naruto cocked his eyebrow.

"Sure, Sasuke-teme. Keep saying that to yourself and maybe you'll start believing it too."

A/N: Sasuke, a fanboy? What will this do to Ino or Sakura? Will Kakashi finally put away his beloved Icha-Icha collection (including several volumes signed by Jiraiya himself)? Will Naruto ever regain consciousness? Please review with the BURNING FLAMES OF YOUTH! UOOOOHHH! MY YOUTHFUL PASSIONS ARE BURNING BRIGHTLY!


	5. Life and Death

**Five: Life and Death**

Disclaimer: You know it. I know it. I don't own Naruto.

"So you want some more, brat!"

"I think he likes it!"

"Don't worry demon child, we'll give you more!"

Each punch landed with a sickening thud. With every blow bruises formed on his face, his torso, his legs. The sadistic bastards didn't rush their punches. They swung with deliberation, putting all of their weight behind each and every excruciating hit. It wasn't long before the bleeding mass ceased to resemble Uzumaki Naruto.

The blonde genin grit his teeth and took the pain. Already his left eye was closed and swelling, his gums were bleeding and he might have fractured a rib. Or three. He had learned long ago that it didn't pay to fight back. They'd only come back with bigger numbers. Naruto couldn't help the hate these people felt. After all, he was the reason their beloved Yondaime was taken away from them. He was the reason Konoha's most beloved Hokage sacrificed his life.

Kyuubi's fault anyway. Can he help that the people thought he and the demon were the same?

It was always easier to place the blame on someone else. It kept you from remembering that you did nothing to help during the time your aid was most necessary. It gave you something to keep from destroying yourself in self recrimination. It kept the guilt at bay.

"Demon brat!" A punch

"You killed my family!" A two by four

"Here! A beating is too good for you!" Kicked by a geta

_I am not a demon._

"I don't know what the council is waiting for. They should just kick you out of the village!"

_The Kyuubi and I are not the same._

"Take this kono gakki!"

_I am not a demon._

The blonde cried out in pain, much to the satisfaction of the drunkards. They laughed at his bleeding form, spitting on his face and showering him with curses. But they would not stop. No, their cruelty took on another level as the beatings continued to worsen, breaking the boy in ways he never thought was possible. Naruto held back his tears for as long as he could, but even his now incredible tolerance for pain was getting stretched and strained. The tears washed down his face as the genin cried out, eliciting another wave of malicious laughter.

"I am not a demon!" A bamboo cane struck him in the face. "Kyuubi-baka. Your parents probably abandoned you because they knew what kind of a danger you were to them." Another laughed with scorn.

"Ha! That's a laugh! They left because they can't stand to have a demon for a son!"

As much pain as the physical blows caused him, more pain was created by the constant taunting. Naruto had grown up as an orphan, never knowing his parents. Even as a child the welfare people had been treating him badly, often leaving him to sleep without meals or else feeding him nothing but poorly cooked instant noodles.

The psychological and physical torment lashed at his soul, numbing him from the head down. No longer did he think about resisting the urge to cry out. Naruto screamed until his voice was hoarse. He yelled and he whooped. He cried out in pain.

Still, no one came to help.

By the time they were done Naruto could barely move, let alone hope to get up. The demon fox's impressive healing powers helped a lot in these situations, but even that particular advantage took some time before it kicked in. Crawling, Naruto propped himself up on a tree, wincing as his battered body slowly succumbed to unconsciousness.

"Naruto!"

That voice. The voice of an angel. Had he taken too many blows? Was he imagining it all? A single blue eye trained itself on the source of the voice. Naruto's vision was to blurry to be of any help, and already he was so tired….

"Eh? Would you look at that!"

The men turned to see the attractive woman from the Ichiraku running towards their direction. To their surprise, she came up to the Kyuubi brat and gave him the once over, making several attempts to rouse him out of unconsciousness.

A wiry man with a scar running down his cheek spat in disgust. What the hell was she helping that demon child for? Didn't she know what he did twelve years ago? Admittedly, the thought that a baby could slaughter entire families newly born isn't quite the most logical idea.

Then again logic always takes a back seat to powerful liquor.

Scarface motioned to the two others. They hefted the two by fours they were using to beat on the blonde genin while their leader shouted with a slurred voice.

"Oi!" A perfectly proportioned oriental face turned to face him, anger and unshed tears in her eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing, girl!" The girl's pretty face turned to a scowl.

"I'm trying to make sure this child doesn't die," she snapped. "What in heaven's name are you trying to do? Kill him?" Scarface laughed, the stench of sake erupting from his mouth.

"Death is too good for that Kyuubi brat."

"Kyuubi?"

"Yeah! Don't you know you're helping a demon?"

Yukio turned from Scarface to Naruto's battered body. "The only demons I see around here," she emphasized "is a group of drunken louts who don't even have the decency to leave innocent children alone!"

"Bakayaro! Stupid demon lover!"

"That brat killed out families!"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Are you telling me a twelve year old boy who won't even fight against bullies is capable of taking innocent lives? I find this hard to believe," Yukio stated. "I for one think that you're all crazy with the sake."

"Kuso!"

"You think just because you're a woman we won't give you the beating you deserve?" Scarface lifted his hand from his sleeve, revealing three shuriken in his right hand. "I think I'll make that pretty face of yours bleed before the night is through," he seethed. The other ruffians lifted their weapons, intent on making good on their threat. The drop in temperature surprised all of them. For some reason it was slowly growing colder. Each of the men dismissed it as imagination and charged at the woman in front of them.

A blast of white chakra slammed all of the drunkards to the ground. Scarface stared at the woman in front of him, wide eyed and shaking with fear. A pair of mismatched eyes stared down at him from a beautiful face. The left eye blue, the right eye green. Sheer malevolence emanated from the woman in huge waves of white chakra.

Red lips parted to reveal a full set of canine teeth. The silk kimono fluttered in the air, driven by demonic energy as raven hair with streaks of white danced in the chakra-induced windstorm. **So…** The voice was still hers, even if it had demonic undertones now. **You wish to beat up demons while they're down eh?** The men cowered at her feat, soiling themselves when their bladders refused to hold their urine back.

**Let's see how you handle one who actually fights back.**

Scarface's lips quivered. "Mercy," he pleaded.

Words said in vain as a storm of chakra and elongated claws ripped apart their bodies, spilling blood over the cobblestone streets. A cry of sheer terror echoed throughout the alley.

**A/N**: Welcome to the life of Uzumaki Naruto. I've been getting a lot of reviews by people who want to see the developing romance with Yukio and our favorite Dead Last (according to Sasuke anyway) genin. However a few notes that may answer some of your questions.

Yes, Sasuke will still leave for the Hidden Village of Sound in this universe. It just so happened that Yukio stepped in some time before he actually left in the anime and in the manga. That will still happen, but I think I'll be putting it in a whole 'nother story. Maybe a sequel, time willing. Basically in the Naruto timeline, this is just after Naruto got Tsunade back and Jiraiya was starting to teach him the basics of controlling demon chakra, making this a few months after the chuunin exams in which Sound attacked hidden Leaf.

Hope that clarifies things. Please review


	6. Friendship and Recovery

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Edit: Sorry! I accidentally typed blue instead of brunette with Shizune and I mispelled CHouji's last name! I'll try not to let it happen again. Thanks to everyone who noticed!

**Six: Friendship and Recovery**

zero0000: Kishimoto-san, my eternal rival!

Kishimoto-san: Please stop talking like Gai. Everyday I regret ever creating that bushy-browed, spandex-wearing, overemotional bastard.

zero0000: I challenge you for the rights of Naruto! If I fail I will eat six hundred jars of olives and do ten thousand laps around Tokyo in a furious display of youthfulness!

Kishimoto-san: Eh?

zero0000: Damn it! Your response is so hip!

"I need some help!"

The Hokage's aide turned and her eyes widened in shock. A woman carrying a beat up and bloody Uzumaki Naruto on her back was standing in front of the hospital emergency room. "Please," she pleaded. "help him."

Shizune called for nurses as she lay the unconscious genin on a gurney. Whipping her hands into lightning quick seals, she conjured a small healing jutsu. Nothing fancy, just enough to keep the wounds from getting infected. The woman who brought him in stared at his battered body, fearing the worst.

Shizune gave her a sincere smile. "Don't worry, we can take it from here," she assured her. "Drunken men," she stammered. "Drunken men were beating him up in a dark alley. They wouldn't stop hurting him." The medic nin grimaced. This again. The Uzumaki boy probably got brought to the hospital more often for incidents like that than actual ninja missions. The Godaime will not be happy about this…

"Can you help him?" Shizune snapped out of her reverie.

"Don't worry about it, miss. We'll get Naruto up and running in no time."

Leading the gurney into the operating room, Shizune and several medic nins quickly used medic jutsus to stabilize the genin's wounds while Yukio looked on from the doorway. Otherwise, they would have just called on Tsunade's help and healed the boy enough that he would be able to recover on his own. But as the Hokage was currently available, the medic nins made do with high level stabilization jutsus instead.

Once the wounds were no longer bleeding, Shizune called for a needle and thread and began stitching the wounds closed. He was in a bad condition indeed. Quickly moving the needle through the biggest wounds, the medic nin bound the incisions, closing them with the practiced dexterity of a field medic. Naruto's demon chakra was taking its time with the healing process, and she couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Yukio bit her lip nervously. She had no knowledge about shinobi type medicine so she couldn't comprehend just what the brunette was doing. Deciding that it was too early to begin panicking (The lady doctor's sure to know what she's doing), she went out of the emergency room and took a walk around the hospital.

She found herself back in the hospital waiting room. Having nothing else better to do, Yukio sat down on one of the overstuffed couches and picked up a copy of Shinobi Unlimited. Distracted, she couldn't even read a whole page before she was setting the magazine down again. Her eyelids started drooping. Carrying a twelve-year-old genin (much less one with the eating habits of one Uzumaki Naruto) across six blocks while on the run was tiring work. Slowly, Asakura Yukio found herself descending into a deep sleep…

Waking up in front of a huge cage with seal tags carved all over the bars. A white mist of intensely cold fog shimmered in the white chakra erupting from the body of the caged demon. She often saw this in her dreams from before and it held no surprises for her. A pair of mismatched eyes, each the size of her fist, stared down at her from within the darkened enclosure. One blue, one green. A menacing growl erupted from the cage.

**What is it now brat?**

Yukio knelt down on the icy floors and bowed formally. "I would like to give you my thanks for assisting me a while ago, Tsume-sama. I would not be here safe without your aid." The giant figure snorted.

**Stupid human. All you need to realize is that I'm keeping you alive to keep me alive.**

"Still I would like to thank you all the same. I owe you my life, Tsume-sama."

**Brat. Wake up why don't you?**

"Miss?"

Yukio was startled awake. The blue-haired medic nin was staring at her in the face as she held a clipboard in her hand. Once she was satisfied that Naruto's friend was awake enough, Shizune straightened up and introduced herself. Yukio did the same and asked about Naruto's state of being.

"Well," Shizune pursed her lips. "Naruto-kun's a mess, but he'll live. He's been through more than this pitiful thing and it'll take more than that to keep that boy down." Yukio heaved a sigh of relief.

"Still, he might not have lived if you didn't hurry him here." The other woman flushed red at Shizune's praise.

"I didn't do anything anyone else wouldn't have," Yukio stammered. "Besides, Naruto-kun's been really nice to me ever since I came to Konoha. He even helped me find some work." The medic nin smiled in understanding.

"I take it you work in the Ichiraku?"

"Why yes. How'd you know?"

Shizune pointed a finger at the Intensive Care Unit. "In there is the Ichiraku Ramen Restaurant's best customer in decades," she explained. "If he's gonna get you a job it has to be at the Ichiraku." Yukio raised a sleeve to her lips and giggled.

"Naruto-kun certainly loves his ramen."

"That he does, Yukio-san."

"Ano…"

"Yes?"

Yukio poked her fingers together. "Do you think he'd mind if I got him some ramen tomorrow? I might take the day off." Shizune laughed at that. "Trust me when I say that what you're planning may be one of the most appreciated gestures of kindness he'll ever get," the medic nin managed. "I'll be willing to bet that old man Ichiraku and his daughter would even be there with you. Wouldn't want to lose their best customer, would they?"

Yukio shook her head in amusement. Even with all the people crowding in the little restaurant, Naruto almost always manages to eat more than the rest of them combined.

Except for when that Akamichi boy shows up of course.

"Visiting hours are at eight tomorrow," Shizune said. "He'll love someone bringing him ramen early in the morning. He hardly ever gets visitors." Yukio looked at her in shock.

"Do you mean to say that this happens often?" The medic waved a dismissive hand.

"Goodness no! He's a shinobi. Constant hospitalizations come with the territory."

"Oh I see. I'll see you then, Shizune-san."

Yukio bowed low and departed form the hospital. Shizune collapsed in a chair. Shinobi did get hospitalized on occasion, but not as much as young Naruto. If only the people of Konoha stopped relating him to the demon of twelve years ago, the world would be a happier place for the boy.

But sometimes you don't get what you wish for.

Making a note on her clipboard to inform the Hokage about Naruto's condition, Shizune got up to make her rounds.

A/N: Another chapter done! Expect the next one to be a lot fluffier!


	7. Over a Bowl of Ramen

**Seven: Over a Bowl of Ramen**

Disclaimer: I still have yet to win the rights to Naruto from my eternal rival Kishimoto-san I—ugh!

Kishimoto-san: Konoha Senpuu! knocks zero0000 unconscious

zero0000: unconscious

Kishimoto-san: I am not your eternal rival and you are NOT Maito Gai. Get that through your thick head.

zero0000: bleeds

_Where am I?_

_What am I doing here?_

_How long have I been gone?_

A pair of sleepy blue eyes opened reluctantly to the combined glare of morning sunlight and fluorescent lighting. Ah. So it was the hospital again, was it? Naruto rubbed his bandaged head. For sure he didn't remember dragging his beaten ass down here. Maybe Shizune or one of the anbu found him lying on the road. He was pretty sure Tsunade-baachan's orders to get him to a hospital with each beating was still standing.

"Hello sleepy-head."

Naruto blinked. Yukio-anechan? What in blazes was she doing here? He blinked again. Inhaled. Deeply. Was that wonderful scent what he thought it was? Blue eyes snapped open and took in what the Ichiraku waitress was holding in her lap. A delivery box. But not just any ordinary delivery box. An _Ichiraku_ ramen warmer model X42-300, designed to keep ramen warm and toasty until it reaches its supposed destination.

Which, in a few minutes, would be Uzumaki Naruto's digestive tract.

The blonde genin leapt from bed and snatched the delivery box with a mighty cry of "RAMEN!". Just as Naruto was about to dig in, he noticed that for some reason Yukio was blushing furiously. Something in his distant memory was slowly starting to fight its way out of the deepest recesses of his mind, something vitally important to remember when you're expecting a female visitor to come visit you in the hospital.

"Naruto-kun?"

Oh that's right.

He was wearing a hospital gown.

Open at the back.

Barely hanging from his neck.

When the full implication of all this finally hit home, Naruto scampered back to his bed, banging one of his toes in the steel frame. He hopped around briefly to shake off the pain when he slipped and banged his head on the floor. Cursing under his breath (praying that his anechan never heard him), he clambered up the bed and promptly slid off the other side before he managed to get a grip on the bed frame and stay on it for once. When he was finally deep within the recesses of his hospital-issued blanket, he peeked his head out carefully. Yukio was now facing a wall. "Is it safe to look now?"

"Yes. Sorry about that."

But in Naruto's mind…

_Baka! You flashed a girl! How the hell could you do something like that! To Yukio-anechan of all people! Now she'll probably be traumatized all her life. She'll have to go to a shrink and get all of those disturbing mental images out of her head and…_

Naruto's thoughts were abruptly cut when the woman in question wrapped his arms around him. The blonde was barely able to contain the flush growing on _his_ cheeks when he realized that the girl was crying.

"I was so worried. I didn't think--" Naruto silenced her with a finger on her lip.

"It'll take more than that to get rid of me!" Yukio looked and saw that Naruto had on his patented "good-guy" smile. She couldn't help but share his optimism. Here was a boy who nearly got himself killed last night and yet he still had the strength to smile.

What an amazing person indeed.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hai, anechan?"

"Why wouldn't you fight back yesterday? I heard from Kakashi-san that you were one of the best shinobi in Konoha. Dispatching of drunken louts like that should have been child's play for you." Naruto bit his lip. Nobody else could know why those men always beat up on him, or why certain individuals in the village always glared at him as if he did the most terrible thing in the world.

To their eyes, anyway.

"Well," Naruto scratched his head, thinking of an answer. "Actually shinobi are supposed to protect their village, right? I can't very well beat up on people just cause they were drunk or anything right? That wouldn't be becoming for a future Hokage," he finally managed. All these things were true, if not truly complete.

"I see…" Naruto grimaced. "Besides, it's not like they do this to me all the time, right?" A question isn't a statement after all, so there wasn't any lies or truth in that last response. Though that wasn't exactly a lie, he still felt a bitter taste in his mouth as the words came. Yukio kept him in her arms.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hai?"

"You're the most wonderful, forgiving person I know."

At that last statement his cheeks went red. Naruto went even redder as the waitress from Ichiraku planted a kiss on his cheek. "Don't ever change," Yukio whispered.

"Anechan?"

"Hai?"

"My ribs?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

Yukio let go of the blonde genin and retreated to the safety of her chair. Naruto wasn't really hurt, but he felt that if she didn't let go of him that instant, he might try something Jiraiya would approve of.

He certainly didn't want that. Bad enough he had to put up with Ero-sennin's perverted antics. Did the bastard have to rub off on him too? _Stupid puberty and stupid hormones_, Naruto thought to himself.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hai?"

"Want to have that ramen now?"

A smile lit up the shinobis face. Oh right. Ramen. He was so wrapped up in Yukio hugging him that he nearly forgot all about that. Taking the bowl from her, he wrapped his fingers around a pair of chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!

A/N: Aw! Ain't that sweet! This being a love story I thought I'd finally put some sort of interaction between Naruto and the original character. Loved that part about Naruto momentarily forgetting about the ramen. Anyway, please review.


	8. Kakashi and Sasuke – Two of a Kind

**Eight: Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke – Two of a Kind**

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.

A/N: Okay, so I've gotten some feedback (You know who you are) that gave me the idea to turen this into a full fledged NaruOC romace fic. Thing is, I'm not entirely sure that I can manage to update in time for the changes in the plot to commence.

Therefore, I'm putting this matter on hold until I get sufficient feedback that you want Yukio and Naruto to end up together. So I've decided to let the reviews decide.

Please vote.

Oh one more thing. Yumexchan, this chapter is dedicated to you. Hope you enjoy!

-

The Ichiraku was packed to the brim. Packed to the brim with customers from every walk of life. From shinobi to civilians, the Ichiraku served them all.

"Hey! Where's my pork ramen!"

"I've been waiting an hour for my miso ramen and it's still not here!"

"What's the deal with this service! It sucks!"

Er…trying to anyway.

A very harrowed looking Ayane rushed from table to table with _two_ full trays balanced in her arms. With Yukio taking the day off, there was only one waitress to fill the massive influx of customers. Unfortunately, it was growing every minute.

_I left the ninja academy for this!_ Ayane thought bitterly. _"Dad, now that mom's gone, can I help you run the Ichiraku?" "Sure honey! That'd be great!" I could be trained to kill people by now! I could be out in the world having adventures and facing off against missing-nin like Kakashi and that really scaly person whatsisface, and that weird kid with the heavy bags under his eyes._

_Oh where has my youth gone! Give me back my youth damn it!_

Oblivious to Ayane's neurotic inner ranting, Hatake Kakashi and his protégé, Uchiha Sasuke, were sitting in a booth patiently waiting for their orders to be served. They didn't really care much for ramen. As a matter of fact, they couldn't stand the stuff. But, as the Copy Nin was quick to point out (and Sasuke quick to deny), they were both here for one reason and one reason alone.

Asakura Yukio.

Bored with nothing to do, Kakashi attempted something so many people before him have and failed at. But he was confident that he would be the first to succeed. He quickly listed all of his strengths and with each item he raised his confidence level.

Had he not memorized a thousand jutsus?

Was his name not known in several countries and spoken in fear by those who once opposed him?

Was he not the genius Copy Nin of Konoha with the fully mastered Sharingan eye even though he wasn't an Uchiha?

Didn't he have all twenty three volumes of the Icha-Icha paradise, including the intensely dark Icha-Icha Pornographic Violence issue?

Deciding quickly, Kakashi set about his chosen mission.

He attempted to initiate a conversation with Uchiha Sasuke.

"So, what do you think happened to Asakura-san?"

"Hn."

"You think she came to work today?"

"Hn."

"You know, I really don't speak 'hn'."

"Hn."

"If you say 'hn' one more time it means you're actually gay and secretly crushing on Naruto."

"Hn-what!"

Kakashi's single visible eyebrow went up. Sasuke restrained the urge to kill his jounin-sensei right there. He had a hundred different reasons to do so. For one thing, if he killed Kakashi, he would surely be strong enough to kill _that_ man.

Plus he was pissed that the silver-haired ninja implied something about his sexuality. He wasn't gay. Even if he was, that dead-last idiot would probably be the last person he would crush on.

Neji maybe.

Wait a minute. Bad mental image.

Sasuke instead gave his chuckling jounin-sensei the patented Uchiha Glare. Kakashi kept chuckling under his breath.

"Seriously. I hate you."

Kakashi was all set to shoot back a really witty retort when Ayane finally arrived at their table to give them a bowl of vegetable ramen and one of barbecued beef ramen. Which, incidentally, they didn't order. Sasuke was about to point this out when he saw the insane glint in old man Ichiraku's daughter. The Uchiha gulped under his breath and bit down on the really biting and sarcastic comments, which would inevitably cost him his ability to bear children if indeed, Ayane _is_ going crazy.

He so did not want his flowery dress-wearing brother to be the last Uchiha.

Before the waitress left, Kakashi managed to ask the whereabouts of a certain woman they both were waiting for. "Yukio-san is at the hospital," Ayane managed, balancing the double trays. Sasuke piped up.

"Why? What happened? Is she hurt?"

"No she wasn't. Hey I'll have your order in a minute so stop yelling!"

Ayane glared at the customer (a Hyou jounin) and waited for him to apologize before she continued. "She's just watching over Naruto-kun. He's the one who ended up hospitalized. Now if that's all I think I'll be going." She didn't even wait for them to respond.

Which at the moment, the two shinobi were incapable of.

What was Yukio-san doing taking the day off?

To visit Naruto in the hospital no less.

Now, a normal functioning brain might deduce that Yukio was a friend of Naruto and was just keeping him company to help him recover. But Kakashi's and Sasuke's weren't quite normally functioning brains right now. Let's take a look see what they're thinking, shall we?

Kakashi's mind

_What? Yukio-san is visiting Naruto in the hospital?_

_Maybe they're just friends. _

_But what if they're not! _

_Oh no! I got defeated by my own student! _

_Must…kill…_

_No…A teacher must not kill his student…a teacher must not kill his student…a teacher must not kill his student…but what if it was for the sake of love?_

Alright. Not a pretty picture. What about what's going on in Sasuke's mind?

_How is this possible? I was beaten by a dead last! Damn that dobe. How am I going to be able to kill _thatman_ if I don't get a girlfriend before Naruto? _

_Oh no. Maybe I am gay…_

_This means that the flowery-dress wearing idiot will actually be the last Uchiha._

_Our clan is so dead…_

Even worse, yes? But the insanity underlying all their thought patterns was completely ignored by both Sharingan users. Both the Uchiha prodigy and the Copy Nin found themselves on the same situation. Knocked senseless by the thing called love.

"The world sucks," they both lamented.

A/N: Thought to write a purely humor chapter. Hope you liked. Enjoy!


	9. He Says

**Nine: He Says**

Disclaimer: I have no intention of challenging Kishimoto-san in mortal combat so I guess owning Naruto will just be a dream for me…

A/N: Your votes decided. It's a romance fic you'll have. But I have to warn you, I've never written anything that resembles a romance in my life.

* * *

Ever had a dream you wished you never woke up from? One where you feel like everything's just perfect, like you don't even want things to end?

What's that like?

……………

Okay, okay. It's kind of hard for me to get serious on anything. I've been using humor as a defense mechanism for nearly every major thing that happened to me. It helps me keep the tears from falling. Believe you me, I've had more tragedy in my life than any amount of psychotherapy might even begin to deal with. I've been broken far too many times for there not to be any scars in my psyche.

But how do you deal with something that doesn't break you? What if you're on the verge of something fantastic, something that would make you jump out of bed every morning, poke your head out the window and scream at the top of your lungs "life is great and nothing's ever going to change that!"

Oi. What am I saying?

I'm practically turning into one of those sappy bastards who keep spouting all that mush about how love supposedly makes the world go round. But then again, what would I know?

It's not like I've ever been loved before.

The Sandaime? He'd like to think he treated me like one of his own children. But when I think long and hard on it I realize that he did what he did because he felt somehow responsible for keeping me alive because another kage everybody thought was the bomb asked him and the rest of the bloody village to.

What about Iruka-sensei? No, not even close. He sees someone in me who could possibly understand what it's like not to have people to call family. Both of us are pretty much alone, really. He figures that if he can just find someone else to share the misery, he might not feel as bad for himself as he would otherwise. It helps sometimes, you know. When there's someone else you know who's as alone as you are, you tend to get the feeling that somehow things aren't as bad as you'd think there'd be.

But his heart's in the right place, I'd give him that.

Kakashi? Hell, that guy's stewing in his own miserable existence for as long as we'd known him. Try as he might to hide behind that porno or that mask of his he'll never truly hide the tearstains in his eyes. Underneath the underneath indeed. The guy has issues I don't even want to touch with a ten-foot pole.

Tsunade-baachan? Nope. I just remind her of two precious people she lost. I'm her link to the past, if anything. I don't know if it's fate or whatever, but I just don't like to see the way she looks at me and sees someone else entirely. I don't know the reason I was born, but I'll bet it wasn't so some fifty year old who wants to pretend to be some twenty year old blonde hussy with a boob job can project her id on me.

Jiraiya? Actually, I don't think I even want to know…

Hinata? Actually I don't have much of a say in that. It's kind of cute though, the way she pokes her fingers together and stutters when she's around me. But I think the only thing she sees in me is an ideal she can reach out for. Someone who can show her how to get out of the shell she kept herself locked behind her entire life, someone to show her just how to tell her psycho family off. She doesn't love me.

She wants to become me.

Sakura's even worse. She just sees me as the third member of the team, i.e. Sasuke, her and other guy. I hate being the other guy. At one point I even ignored all that cause I thought I loved her. It'll be fun to watch her heart break when the bastard finally leaves to pursue his revenge on his brother though. I guess it's sadistic, but if I'm going to talk to myself I might as well be honest, right?

Probably the hardest thing to accept is the fact that there is someone who'd ignore what everyone else thought of me and like me just because of…me. How do you deal with that?

I. Don't. Know.

It's funny how things ended up. I mean, I barely know the girl and here I am contemplating on whether I love her or not. Sweet kami-sama, she's four years older than I am _and_ has a bigger fan club than that bastard Sasuke'll ever have in his life. So there, Sasuke-aho. Uchiha avenger my ass…

Oh kami-sama.

Was I rambling?

I must have been hit in the head harder that I thought…

Exactly what is love anyway? What is it about it that makes smart people complete idiots and ordinarily far-sighted and calculating people into messy puddles of mush too googly-eyed to see straight?

Mad love indeed. Temporary insanity is more like it. That's why they call it falling in love. When you fall, you could get yourself injured, maimed, or worse.

"I was walking along the corner one day and I fell in love. My friends tried to pull me out but I got all tangled up with sticks and couldn't get up." Accurate assessment, don't you think? All it takes is a pretty face, then BOOM! You're done.

Damn it. Stupid adolescence and stupid hormones. I'm sounding like some manic-depressive emo guy. Must think of something else.

………………..

………………..

…Nope. Sure wish I had some ramen to help me think some more.

Wonder how long 'til breakfast?

* * *

A/N: In case you're wondering, the "falling in love" thing was taken from a monologue by Chris Rock. The "love is temporary insanity" thing is from a writer in the Philippines named Jessica Zafra.

Jiraiya: Hey brat! What did you mean about not wanting to know how I feel for you?

Naruto: Exactly that, ero-baka. No way do I want to be the object of one of your perverted fantasies.

Jiraiya: Why you—

Naruto: points Look! Feminist protesters!

Jiraiya: Argh! My one weakness! melts into a crack

Naruto: Ass….


	10. The Fields of Battle Defined Oh Tsuko!

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**Ten: The Fields of Battle Defined (OhTsuko!)**

A/N: I don't own Naruto. But I'm in negotiations to buy Ino.

Fujimori Tsuko raised the scabbarded dai-katana in the air. His eyes were closed and his mind intent on what the demon in his blade was saying in his mind. The sheath swung left, then right, as if sniffing the air.

The cursed sword Satsuki (Bloodlust) was shaking in his grip, sniffing out demonic energies from the air. Already its killing intent rang strong in Tsuko's mind, begging its master to send it prey for it to sate its unnatural craving for lives. The samurai reassured it that it would be sated, but for now the two of them had a job to do.

Once Satsuki had smelled out a particular blend of demonic chakra, the sword retains it in its memory until the day it is destroyed. This skill was his primary contribution to the mission to search for his liege's daughter, as right now the Kazahana clan of the former Snow Country would be more than happy to use any excuse to dethrone the Asakura.

The silver-haired swordsman set to swinging the sheathed weapon left and right, singing as he went. "Come out come out wherever you are…" he sang.

"To this day it still freaks me out when you do that," a female voice remarked. The samurai smiled, his one visible eye crinkling in amusement.

Asakura Yukiko was sitting on the central area of the tatami covered room of the Hyuuga residence. As it was, the Hokage residence and the shinobi barracks was filled to capacity with the security force. The rest of the Hyounin had been dispatched in the forests around Konoha, patrolling as they went. From information received on Orochimaru's tactics, the snake nin preferred to attack during especially sensitive situations like the visit of Suna's Kazekage in years past.

The Asakura clan wished for no such thing to happen this time around.

Tsuko plopped down in front of the female samurai and laid his sword to rest at his right side. "Satsuki has said that the princess is indeed here in Konoha," he reported. "If this is true, why has the Hokage not told us about this development?" Yukiko said, thinking out loud.

"Perhaps she was not aware of it."

"A possibility. Perhaps Yukio-sama was just good at staying unobtrusive."

Together the two of them debated possibilities. While it would certainly be convenient should the damyo's daughter be returned from him so soon after the Hyou went on the diplomatic visit to Leaf, it was always wise to ascertain all the variables.

One, if the Kazahana were plotting something to prevent the coronation in two years, what better place to hide the princess than in a village full of ninja? So far a grand total of eight of the princess' decoys had been assassinated by forces controlled by Kazahana Dotou and his hired Otonin. Truth be told, this was the reason Asakura-sama wanted this alliance with the Leaf. It would give Orochimaru and his band of bandits another reason to hesitate making another move.

In the grand scheme of things, there was something else to consider. What was the reason Yukio left? And to end up here of all places? There was too much unidentified variables to just dismiss.

Therein lies the quandary. Two possible forces would be after the Princess, the recently deposed Kazahana and their allied Sound ninja and the Akatsuki. The Kazahana are in it to stop the succession ceremonies. The Akatsuki are in it because the princess is jinchuuriki, and thus indispensable for their plans.

Yukiko fixed them some tea.

The male samurai left his seat carrying his cup, watching the skyline of Konoha from the sheltered engawa. He sipped his tea and wave a hand of greeting to one of the Hyuuga branch members, who then asked if they needed anything.

"A piece of parchment, brushes and some ink if you will," Yukiko called. The branch house member bowed and left to get what she requested. "Writing your report already?" Tsuko teased. "You never used to be this enthusiastic about paperwork, Yukiko-teicho."

"If I don't do it, that bastard Kusonoki would probably make me do _his_ paperwork," the woman pointed out. "Boy is that bastard lazy."

"Can you blame him, teicho? The best shinobi in the ranks of the Hyou reduced to a desk job. It's a wonder Tsunade-san doesn't go mad from time to time." Yukiko tapped her lip and reflected. "True."

"Speaking of Tsunade-san, did you see the rack on that girl? It still puzzles me how in the name of Kami-sama she can even keep her spine from snapping straight under the weight of those things. Perhaps Konoha has some sort of advanced brassiere technology we're not aware of."

Tsuko would have replied but he was busy choking on his tea.

Yukiko raised an eyebrow. "You know," she said "for all the badass vibes you tend to give out, it still comforts me to think that I can make you blush just by saying the word 'rack.'"

Tsuko turned to her with tea dripping down on his chin. There was a noticeable flush on his cheek from their previous exchange. Then, composing himself, he said "I don't know what you mean, teicho." She snorted.

"Sure. Like you weren't staring at those gazongas the whole time we were in the office," Yukiko remarked. Tsuko proceeded to choke on some more of his tea as his commanding officer laughed hysterically.

"I think I'll take my leave of you, teicho." Yukiko waved a dismissive hand as her parchment and brushes arrived.

"Sure. You do that."

Tsuko hadn't gone very far when the voice of his commander called out his name. He turned and saw that her face was serious. "Tsuko, I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you.

He listened carefully.

"Boobs."

Yukiko's near maniacal laughter echoed throughout the Hyuuga compound as Tsuko's nasal capillaries threatened to blow his nose apart. Neji was training with TenTen when the prodigy saw the samurai sailing past on the Nosebleed Express.

"What the hell was that?" the weapons mistress asked. Neji just shrugged and dropped back into his stance. TenTen followed suit, muttering under her breath.

"Crazy-ass samurai…"

A/N: Naruto trivia. In one of the Naruto movies, the Kazahana clan was the ruling damyo of Snow Country, the bulk of which now belongs within the territory of the Asakura clan, hence the change in name from Snow to Glacier.

In this universe, the Kazahana were deposed a short while after the events of the movie in question, thus propelling a man named Kusonoki to the Hyoukage position. Officially, he's Shodaime of the new Hyougakure no Sato established in the reign of the Asakura.


	11. Espionage and Family Ties

**Eleven: Espionage and Family Ties**

The village was a clear fifty miles of Konoha and just barely inside Fire Country borders. It thrived mostly under the black market trade, unofficial import duties on the goods moving from the different elemental countries whose relationships with Fire Country hadn't quite been so pleasant as of late.

Kurosaki Raiha shivered. There were so many rough and suspicious characters in the streets that no doubt if he had come unarmed he would have been mugged. He held the package closer to his chest.

The Kazahana had known about the Asakura heir going missing from quite some time now and intend to take advantage of the Damyo's current period of unrest. Or rather, exploit.

The Kazahana clan long ruled the territory once known as Snow Country for generations. In a small civil conflict led by one Rouga Nadare, they had managed to capture and add the nation to their already massive territory, thus creating the newly formed Glacier country.

Hence Raiha's mission.

His liege lord, the last of the once great Kazahana had sent him on a mission to find capable ninja to help him accomplish the mission of capturing the runaway heir to the Asakura. A few weeks ago, he had found a pair of shinobi who might very well fit the description.

If they didn't kill him first, that is.

Raiha gripped his tea mug like it was going to crack, forcing himself to adopt a semblance of peace and tranquility. If those ninja dogs were to see him like this who knows what they might have the gall to do.

It took a few more minutes of waiting before his contacts arrived wearing the same red cloud patterned robes and wide straw hats he found them in the first time they met. The taller one adjusted the wrappings on what looked like an overly large sword hanging from his back. The Kazahana emissary decided at once that if anything, he did not like this one, as he was decidedly too sharklike.

His companion was a bit more human, that is until one looked into his eyes. The emissary shivered. There was death in those eyes. Eyes like a pair of dark coins dropped in a watery surface, so cold and flat and impersonal. After a lot of thinking, Raiha decided that he might like to take his chances with his fishy companion.

The pair sat on the table directly behind him, not even acknowledging his presence. This was a security measure, a set of predetermined code words that translated into something non-incriminating should anyone be close enough to listen. Clever really. _But that did not mean I had to like it_, Raiha said to himself. The human-looking shinobi spoke first.

"One order of soba and a cup of wintergreen tea."

_We have tracked down your target._

"Beef teriyaki and three orders of rice."

_Have you agreed to our price?_

Raiha fumbled with the package and called to the waitress, ordering a bowl of shrimp ramen. _Yes, we agree._ The party continued to eat for a few minutes, unmindful of each others' presence. The ninja duo left first, leaving some money on the table and crossing over to the rear exit. With some reluctance, the Kazahana emissary followed.

He had not taken a few steps before he was faced with a kunai to the throat. This too was part of the ruse. "Your money or your life," the bandit growled darkly. Raiha raised his hands, the one holding the package shaking under the stress. The bandit and his partner grabbed the box and leapt to the rooftops, running as they went.

The Kazahana emissary slumped to the ground, winded but otherwise unhurt. _Hinin bastards_, he muttered to himself. He exhaled, picking himself off the ground and walked away.

He had not made it six steps when the explosive tag claimed his life.

Uchiha Itachi dropped his henge, motioning for his parter, Hoshigaki Kisame to do the same. The shark-like shinobi opened the package, his spiked maw widening in excitement as he revealed sixteen perfectly cut emeralds. The mode of payment was predetermined long ago, payable to the pair. Though the Akatsuki council forbids its members to take on missions unrelated to the ones they already have, it was an unsaid agreement that they didn't forbid additional sources of income, should it be related to their primary objective.

Itachi activated his Mangekyou, focusing on the surroundings to keep pursuers from getting too close. "Didn't you say your brother lived in Konoha?" his partner inquired. Itachi grunted, a stereotypical Uchiha response.

"Don't you think it's about time for you to pay your brat brother a visit?"

Itachi considered. "You have a point there, Hoshigaki," he said. "I believe it's that time of the year when I should reconsider visiting my otouto. It's been too long after all."

The pair of cloaked figures blurred out of view.

The Konoha hunter nin smiled under his mask. It took some months of tracking but finally he was able to find the notorious Uchiha Itachi. He had taken residence in the café right across the street to the restaurant the target went in to observe and record the subject's movements.

Hunter nin protocol demanded that by now he call for backup. As he reached for his communicator, the nin was stopped by a kunai aimed at his neck, the point slowly piercing into his jugular. "Peek-a-boo," a man with glowing red eyes breathed. Flames engulfed the nin faster that he could draw breath for a scream.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu."

The ashes of the hunter nin blew in the air, dancing through the folds of Itachi's billowing robes as the man turned to see his parter smirking at him. "Now that was a bit much," Kisame said dryly.

Itachi just shot him _the look._

Kisame dropped to the ground, panting under the hideously stressful effects of the Tsukiyomi. The jutsu summoned forth images of absolute horror or pain, or both on some occasions. On this case it was the latter. Drawing upon the most foul and bitter recesses of his entirely too sadistic mind, the Mangekyou user flashed his partner through the most agonizing .978345 seconds of his life.

Uchiha Itachi had sent him six hours worth of Hanson videos in half a second.

"You're a sadistic bastard Itachi," Kisame spat. The other nukenin just grinned.

"Yes. I know."

A/N: Itachi hasn't visited Konoha at this point. In the anime the visit to Sasuke came right before said broody shinobi left Konoha to train under Orochimaru. To fit this storyline in the regular arc, I decided to have Itachi visit _after _Team 7 met Yukio.

Anyway, please review.


	12. Not Quite Twenty Questions

**Twelve: Not Quite Twenty Questions**

A/N: What in the hell? Another fluff chapter? I don't know why I'm still writing this. Oh yeah. 6.7K hits baby! does the funky chicken

Once Naruto finished inhaling his ramen (burp!) Yukio put the bowl(s) away and went to the kitchenette in the room to wash up the eating implements. Naruto stared at her, taking in his "anechan's" features. She was positively beautiful.

Her hair glimmered in the early morning sunlight, the rosy glow of her skin contrasting with the color of her kimono, which was a pleasantly emerald green. Naruto looked away, realizing that he had been staring at an incredibly inappropriate amount of time.

She turned and smiled at him. "Why is my otouto staring at me like that?" she asked. Naruto blushed. Wait a minute. Little brother am I? "Cause I have such a beautiful anechan," he remarked rather cheekily.

Then it was Yukio's turn to blush.

"Yukio-chan."

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"What were you doing back in the forest near Hidden Cloud?"

Yukio put away the bowls and the chopsticks, zipping them up in the carrier pack Ichiraku-teicho gave her. She sat down on a chair near Naruto's bed, her eyes looking wistful and reminiscent. "I guess we never did get around talking about that, did we?" she remarked.

"Well, truth be told, I'm on a sabbatical." Naruto's face crunched up in concentration. It's not that words like 'sabbatical" were beyond him…oh wait, they are. Twelve-year-old vocabulary made even worse by the blond genin's inability to find enough reason to make his better by reading more than the ingredients list on a package of instant ramen. The woman spared him the embarrassment by continuing on with her story.

"All my life I've never really known what was beyond the walls of my own hometown," she explained. "I dreamed of seeing the world, visiting places I've only seen in the pages of books. So one day I took a boat all the way to Lightning Country and spent a lot of time in the port cities close to Kumogakure."

"It was an adventure for me, you see," Yukio said, brushing back a lock of Naruto's hair with a finger. "The port towns were exciting, but I fear that I overspent my money on things I probably shouldn't have bought in the first place."

"I knew the rudiments of hunting and fishing well enough, so I decided to spend the night in the forest. I didn't know what I was thinking. There I was, sleeping on the ground when back home I could be sleeping in a bed with my needs and wants only a few words away. But I decided for myself that I wanted to be a person worthy of my dreams"

"A person worthy of your dreams?" Yukio nodded.

"Why yes, Naruto-kun," she said. "Everyone has dreams. It's just a matter of time and effort to accomplish any one of them. But to be truly worthy of ones dreams a person has to look deep inside her heart," she emphasized the point by poking a finger into Naruto's chest, making the blonde genin wince when she hit a rib "and see the reasons _why_ you're chasing after that dream in the first place. If your intentions are pure, God himself will make a way for your dreams to come true."

"Everything a person does he or she does for a reason. I want to find that reason for myself and finally answer the question if I'm even worthy of going on with my dreams." Naruto crossed his arms. He never thought of it that way. Closing his eyes, he looked inside himself and thought long and hard about his own dreams as Yukio excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Why did he want to become Hokage? He spent his life hated by people, beaten up at least three times a month and totally ignored by his teammates. What would it be like to be acknowledged for once?

He remembered Iruka-sensei. He remembered Tsunade. He remembers Hinata. Jiraiya even thought him capable enough to be taught his signature jutsu.

And it wasn't even anything perverted at that.

In each of these three people he had seen and felt enough recognition to last him several lifetimes. What more could he want? Could he really be just lashing out at the people ignoring it? Who was he to want the most honored position of the village with reasons that are far from selfless?

The Hokage exists to protect his village. The Sandaime taught him that when he gave his life to trap Orochimaru in a stalemate that cost the snake sennin his arms, thereby immobilizing him from using his formidable arsenal of jutsus. The Yondaime taught him that the price of being Hokage meant that one must be able to make difficult decisions that are for the good of the majority. Tsunade taught him to fight for what he believed in, for the people he believed in most of all and to conquer your fears.

Kakashi taught him to value his special people.

"Penny for your thoughts Naruto-kun"

A pair of blue eyes snapped open as Yukio smiled at his look of intense concentration. "If you keep your face stuck like that it'll freeze that way," she joked. He stuck her tongue out at her, but laughed all the same.

"You see Naruto-kun? God makes a way for all things to be possible, if your heart is in your task."

The blonde nodded excitedly. He thought about it and decided he was still going to go after his dream of becoming the Hokage. But now it wasn't for acknowledgment. He got that already. It was for far different reasons.

The Uzumaki Naruto who first declared his dreams, he was a person so desperately seeking the acknowledgement of others that he took insane risks and won incredible victories. He sought the hard way to the goal, fighting and kicking his way into his place in history. The Uzumaki Naruto today saw that even that won't be enough reason to be Hokage. Now he makes a new pact. He still would pursue the dream of becoming Hokage. Only now, he does it for reasons no one else would have believed possible coming from him.

Uzumaki Naruto will become the Hokage to serve as a shield to protect his village. Uzumaki Naruto will become the Hokage to touch the lives of people so no one would ever have to suffer as he did. Uzumaki Naruto will become the Hokage to acknowledge the people who are shouting to be seen by the world as more than Dead Last.

Then, looking at Yukio's face, Naruto decided to add one other reason on impulse. Uzumaki Naruto will become the Hokage to protect the smile of his special person. Asakura Yukio. His anechan. His one true friend outside of the shinobi circle. Why?

Because Uzumaki Naruto decided that for once, he found someone who he would more than happily give up his dreams for. He loved her, and that was all that mattered in the end.

A/N: Dear heavens! This is really serious stuff! I'm writing a love story and I'm sounding more and more like a chick flick! That's it. I'm going to the video store to rent something dark, action packed and violent.

Please review.


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